Nas: Time Is Illmatic Trailer

With a jazz musician for a father, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones grew up in a world of music. Knowing from an early age that he wanted to become a rapper, he took a look at the bleak world around him and set to work on writing an album that would deliver a voice to the unheard generation of young black men in America. The result was 'Illmatic', a 1994 landmark that heralded the second coming of the Golden Era of hip hop and a revival of New York's rap scene.

Twenty years after the release of 'Illmatic', Erik Parker, a journalist that has worked for 'The Source' and 'VIBE' magazines, serves as the writer for this documentary about the rise of Nas. 'Time Is Illmatic' is the directorial debut for ONE9. This documentary will also bring together artists like Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes and Pharrell Williams to talk about how the album inspired and influenced them, as well as the world. The movie made its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on 16th April, 2014, and saw a limited theatrical release on 1st October, 2014, as well as being released online on 3rd October of the same year.